By: Aaron Pickford
Raging
Speedhorn exploded onto the scene way back in 2000, reaching
the heady heights of the UK Singles chart in 2001 with their song ‘The Gush’,
but for me, it was with the release of their debut full length ‘Raging
Speedhorn’ that I really took notice of the band, having a sound
reminiscent of Eyehategod
and Iron Monkey,
there really wasn’t many bands like them at the time. With an incredible
follow up ‘We Will All Be Dead Tomorrow’, produced by members of Biohazard, Speedhorn were destined
for great things.
Following the
release of their 3rd record ‘How The Great Have Fallen’
Frank Regan split from the band in 2005, to be replaced by Blood Kev of Helvis fame and they
subsequently released one further record ‘Before The Sea Was Built’ in
2007, a record which strayed from their original sludge sound. That is
their history but fast forward back to 2016, and with the arrival of a brand new record entitled “Lost Ritual” it almost feels like a rebirth, the stage is their spiritual home and with it, ‘Speedhorn have come to destroy once again.
A couple of
weeks ago, I caught up with Jim Palmer, guitarist with Raging Speedhorn and we discussed new
beginnings, touring with Amen and the bands renewed passion for being part of a
scene, they helped create. It’s time to get Amped & Doomed.
SL: Jim thanks for taking the time to talk to us, can you give
us a brief history of when you started playing guitar?
Jim Palmer: I
first picked up the guitar when I was 8 years old. I learnt classical
initially, moving onto other finger picking styles such as folk and bluegrass.
My first electric guitar soon followed with my interest in blues guitarists
such as Ry Cooder
and Stevie Ray Vaughan. By about the
age of 14 I was playing in local bands and gigging in youth clubs and the like.
By the age of 20 I’d swapped to playing bass and joined the band Integrity and then a band called Fracture in the mid 90’s touring the UK
extensively. By about 97 I swapped back to guitar and joined Charger. During my time with Charger I also formed the group Murder One along with my friends from Medulla Nocte and Iron
Monkey. I toured extensively through the UK and Europe for many
years until I just stopped in 2007 due to illness. In 2011 or thereabouts I
joined the band Space Witch and
started playing again and later formed the band Harlot
Church. In 2014 I was asked to join Raging
Speedhorn and here we are.
SL: Can you
remember who or what inspired you to pick up the guitar? Are there any bands,
guitarists currently on the scene that continue to inspire you and push you to
try new things?
Jim: My
mum was a music teacher and a pianist and my Dad just loved music so I guess
they were my first inspiration. I think the first actual guitarist I saw that
inspired me was John Williams when my
mum took me to see the band Sky.
After that I was kind of hooked.
As for now I’m constantly inspired by many
musicians whether famous or not. I like a massive range of music so there’s
always something out there to get excited about.
SL: Whilst we’re on the subject of inspiration
or heroes for example, do you have 5
records that stand out as favourites, what influence did they have upon you and
what is it about those records that particular resonates amongst others?
Jim:
Pink
Floyd – “Obscured By Clouds”
Rainbow – “Rising”
Sick
of it All – “Scratch the Surface”
Ry
Cooder – “Ry Cooder”
Melvins – “Houdini”
I think these albums in particular stick out as my favourites because
in one way or another they signify a particular period in my life. That and the
fact that they are all killer.
SL: Can remember your first electric guitar?
My first electric guitar was an Ibanez
Blazer and it was fantastic. Really miss that guitar.
SL: What guitar (s) are
you using today and how did you gravitate towards the guitar you currently use?
Jim: I use
many guitars from Gibson LP Specials
through to LP Customs but my main
guitars at the moment are a prototype Yamaha AES
Telecaster I’ve owned for 18 years or so and a Yamaha AES 600. I’ve used Yamaha guitars on and off since the beginning
of Charger in the late 90’s. No big
manufacturer makes better guitars than Yamaha
in my opinion.
SL: What do you like about the guitars you currently use and have
there been any specific modifications to it?
Jim: I like
my AES Tele because it feels just
right now it’s beaten up and well and truly worn in. It has a wonderful soft
profile to the neck and a feel to it that’s just right for me. I like the AES 600 for exactly the opposite. It has a
big, fat baseball bat of a neck and is quite awkward in some ways. It’s almost
like that guitar that makes you work hard to play it. All my guitars have
several modifications. I don’t use tone knobs so they instantly get removed. I
use Railhammer pickups so all my guitars
have those fitted although I’ve just started using Zombie
Dust pickups which are awesome too. I also fit kill switches to all
my guitars for those moments when you can’t reach your pedal board in time.
Apart from that and using DiMarzio
strap lock straps, everything else is pretty much standard.
SL: What amps and pedals do you currently use? Do you use a combination of amps, or a full
half stack? Talk us through your set up both in the studio and in the live
environment?
Jim: I’ve
used Peavey 5150’s and 6505’s for pretty much everything I’ve ever
done. The only other amp I use regularly is a Blackstar
HT Metal 100. Pedal wise I like to keep things fairly simple so I
have an Ernie Ball VP Jr volume pedal,
Boss TU3 Tuner, EHX Chill Switch and an Ibanez Weeping Demon wah. I occasionally use a
Blackstar Dist if I’m using loan amps
and I occasionally run a Decimator Noise
Reduction pedal. Other than that it’s basically guitar to pedal
board, straight in the front of the amp and out into 1 maybe 2 4x12’s.
I use the same setup when I record although for our new album I mixed
in a JCM 800 for extra beef. I’ve
never been one for complicating things and I believe very much that my tone is
my tone so no need to change it about too much if I can help it.
SL: What one pedal could not live without and why?
Jim: There
isn’t one. Id be just as happy running straight into my amp as I am running
pedals. I don’t need them, they are just nice to have and make life a little
easier. I guess if I had to pick one it would be my TU3
as no one likes an out of tune guitarist HA HA!
SL: What are your
amp/ pedal settings?
Jim: Pedal wise there
isn’t a lot to set. I have my volume pedal for swelling in and out as I hate
using volume pots on guitars. My tuner runs out the tuner out on the volume
pedal so it’s essentially out the chain. I have the EHX chill switch set to
kill the sound momentarily when its depressed, (kill switch), and my Weeping Demon Wah is set to run on the spring
/ sensor so it engages automatically when I put my foot on it. I also have kill
switches on my guitars for options depending on my stage position but also so I
can do the same stuff when I’m not running my pedal board.
Amp setting wise I run the gain on about 8 on
the lead channel, EQ would be bass – 8 mid – 3 Treble – 6, the resonance on 7
and the presence on 4. if I use the rhythm channel its for clean stuff so gain
on about 3 but I run the standard 6505
so I use the same EQ. If I’m using a 5150
or the Blackstar HT Metal 100 the
same settings would apply.
SL: What tunings do you use and why, and as a result is there a
specific brand / gauge of string you prefer ?
Jim: With Speedhorn we tune to drop C#. It’s the perfect
balance between down tuning and still having clarity and usable string tension
/ intonation. String wise I use Cleartone
strings and wouldn’t use any other brand now. They are so much more clear
sounding and the coating makes them last much longer. Gauge wise I used to use
light to / heavy bottom 10’s (10-52) but I’m currently running 11’s (11-56).
SL: Do you have any advice for up and coming guitars players, bands?
Jim: It’s
simple really. Nothing is free, nothing will get handed to you on a plate. Work
hard, put the effort in but enjoy it too. Be a good person, seems daft but it’s
important. If you’re an arsehole to people, crew in particular, they’ll
remember that and it will make your life very difficult in the future. You
should always try to be a good person anyway. Most of all stick at it. I know
more people who’ve “made it” simply because they’ve stuck at it for years than
those who’ve gained instant success. Longevity means a lot in this business.
SL: Do feel there are deeply help
misconceptions about being in a band?
Jim: Many, many
misconceptions but to be honest they are generally made by people who wouldn’t
have a clue anyway HA HA!
SL: Moving on a little then,
what can you tell us about any of your current projects, tours, cds, etc
you’re currently promoting, completed and anything else band related we should
know about?
Jim: We are
releasing our new album “Lost Ritual” for pledgers at the beginning of
July and then later in July it will be available to everyone else. If you still
wish to pledge and get hold of some limited edition goodies as well as the new
album you can do so via the Pledge Music
website and look for Raging Speedhorns
campaign. We are also going on tour around the UK in July to promote the new
album from the 15th – 23rd. Pop over to our Facebook page for updates, news and those
important tour dates!
SL: What springs to mind when you
think about the completion of your new/current record and how is the mood in
the camp at present?
Jim: Happiness
and relief I think. I’m not sure any of us knew whether this was going to work
out but currently we are all feeling pretty chuffed about the new album and
about how well things are going. It’s certainly a good place to be right now.
SL: What are your favorite songs to play live? What is
it about them that makes them so good to play live, crowd reaction, etc? Anything from your catalogue that you
wouldn’t play and why?
Jim: I’m really enjoying the new material at the moment. It’s fresh and new
so it’s easy to play about with the songs structure but also because it’s so
typically Speedhorn
it fits perfectly in the set. I think my favorite songs to play would have to
be “Bring Out Your Dead”, “Halfway to Hell” and “Dogshit Blues”. I’m not sure there is
anything in the catalogue we wouldn’t have a go at live but certainly anything
off “Before The Sea Was Built” would
be difficult due to the different vocalist, (Bloody Kev).
SL: Who are some your favourite
bands you have toured with and what
has been your proudest moment and/or performance of your playing career?
Jim: Some of
the best bands I’ve toured with would have to be Today
Is The Day, Amen and Prong just for the sheer fun we had and the
competitiveness. I’d have to include Raging
Speedhorn in there too though as back when I was in Charger and Murder
One we toured together before I was in RSH.
Always a good time. I feel proud every time I get to play live as it’s a real
privilege but stand out gigs would have to be headlining a stage at Sonisphere in 2014, returning to Damnation Festival in 2014 for the 3rd
time and our headlining slot at Download
SL: What can fans look forward to from you over the
next 12 months? How is your schedule
shaping up?
Jim: Busy! With
the new record out and the subsequent “Lost Ritual” tour we’ll be
popping up all over the place in the next 12 months. We are currently in
negotiations to bring even bigger things and maybe even a few trips to Europe.
In a year you might even hear some more new music, who knows.
SL: Finally, do you have any final comments/word of wisdom you’d like to bestow upon us?
SL: Finally, do you have any final comments/word of wisdom you’d like to bestow upon us?
Jim: In the
words of Bill and Ted “be excellent to each other”. See also Ronnie Barker
“don’t let the bastards grind you down”
End of
Transmission
Band info: Facebook
